Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk is now the head of Twitter, the social media platform he recently purchased for $44 billion. Many Twitter users, advertisers, and employees are uncertain about what direction Musk plans on taking the company. In his first week, several top Twitter executives were fired and widespread layoffs began.
In the days since Musk’s takeover, some Twitter users began posting a copy-and-paste message to their profiles that reads:
“I DO NOT ALLOW @elonmusk or any other Elon related person to use my photos, information, messages or tweets, both in the past and in the future.
This statement I inform $TWTR that it is strictly prohibited to disclose, copy, distribute or take any other action against me based on this account and / or its contents. This account content is private and confidential information.
Violation of my personal life may be punished by law.
NOTE: TWTR will soon be a private organization. All participants should post a note like this.
If you prefer, you can copy and paste this version.
If you don’t publish a disclaimer at least once, you’ll automatically allow the use of your photos, as well as the information contained in your tweets and private messages.”
THE QUESTION
Will posting a copy-and-paste message stop Twitter from collecting your data?
THE SOURCES
- Twitter Terms of Service
- Twitter Privacy Policy
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Nolo, an online legal guide
THE ANSWER
No, posting a copy-and-paste message will not stop Twitter from collecting your data.
WHAT WE FOUND
Posting a copy-and-paste chain message to your Twitter profile will not change how the social media platform uses your data. Attorney Amy Loftsgordon explained in a blog post on Nolo, an online legal guide, that privacy policies posted on social media platforms, such as Twitter, typically determine a person’s privacy rights concerning the personal data the company collects from its users.
When a person becomes a Twitter user, they consent to abide by the company’s Terms of Service as soon as they create an account. In doing so, a user must provide certain information, such as a display name, username, password, date of birth, email address, and phone number.
Twitter’s Privacy Policy, which falls under the Terms of Service, states that the company collects data about a user’s activity on the platform, including tweets and other content they post, their interactions with other users’ content, such as retweets, likes, shares, replies, and how they interact with others on the platform. Twitter’s Privacy Policy, as of Nov. 4, has not changed since June 2022.
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Twitter also tracks when a person uses direct messages, including the contents of the messages, the recipients, and the date and time the messages were sent. It also collects information about a person’s identity, their approximate location and the device they use to access the social media platform.
“Our Privacy Policy describes how we handle the information you provide to us when you use our Services. You understand that through your use of the Services you consent to the collection and use (as set forth in the Privacy Policy) of this information, including the transfer of this information to the United States, Ireland, and/or other countries for storage, processing and use by Twitter and its affiliates,” Twitter says on its website.
In terms of the content a user posts on the platform, the Terms of Service spells out that by submitting, posting, or displaying content on Twitter, the company is granted a “worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license” to use, publish and distribute such content in any way the company chooses after it has been posted.
Twitter is legally bound to abide by its terms of service and data policy. It cannot change those policies without announcing them and making them clear to its users. The company also has to follow international data privacy laws, as well as laws in the U.S.
VERIFY reached out to Twitter for comment but did not hear back by the time of publication.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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